Galactic Swordplay Tournament
The premiere international sporting event exclusively featuring a wide variety of different schools of swordfighting - from all across the galaxy - in competition with one another, the Galactic Swordplay Tournament is considered the galaxy's foremost swordplay-specific mixed martial arts competition. Founded and first organized by Uzarr Ixao, a sirian, and Maiekath Takar, a theran, in 3545, the Tournaments quickly gained popularity with combat-sport fans from most nations. As a result, qualifying athletes from across the Known Galaxy are allowed to participate in the annually-held tournaments. Contestants are sorted into different categories within the tournament primarily according to similarities in their chosen weapon type, though a panel of judges also considers fighters' respective styles when assigning them to a category. Disparities in strength, such as those between female sirians and most others, can be rendered negligible by officially-sanctioned equipment and/or cybernetics, ensuring that the competition remains a fair contest of skill. Each category's winner proceeds to the finals, wherein practitioners of different weapon types and styles mix without restriction. The contestant who succeeds through the finals is awarded 250,000 shii and considerable fame, along with a gold-iridium alloy trophy known as The Ixao-Takar Cup. Score Structure Each fight consists of three rounds, and each round is five minutes long. At the end of a round, fighters are given one minute to recuperate and must then return to their starting position for the start of the next round. The contestant with the most points at the end of a round wins that round, and the contestant with the most won rounds wins the fight. Champions *3545 - Marianna Kesyk (Human, Izera) *3546 - Marianna Kesyk (Human, Izera) *3547 - Marianna Kesyk (Human, Izera) *3548 - Jatunn Eirdfor (Sirian, Sirian Union) *3549 - Eddie Valair (Human, Verandi) *3550 - Taleya Saeihra (Theran, Izera) *3551 - Serruzua Irrek (Sirian, Sirian Union) *3552 - Serruzua Irrek (Sirian, Sirian Union) *3553 - Serruzua Irrek (Sirian, Sirian Union) *3554 - Serruzua Irrek (Sirian, Sirian Union) *3555 - Sennal Katana (Human, Verandi) *3556 - T.B.A. Winners' Circle In 3550, the G.S.T. announced that it would host special, bi-annual fights between any and all of its former champions, and that each participant was to pick a charity to fight for, as half the profits from the event would be divvied up among them, with slightly more going to the winner's charity. The rest of the money is absorbed by the G.S.T. and used to pay the fighters. Aside from further glory and a bonus prize of 10,000 Shii, the winning champion receives a platinum-alloy medal called the Honour Star Medallion. *3551 - Marianna Kesyk *3553 - Serruzua Irrek *3555 - Taleya Saeihra *3557 - T.B.A. Future Athletes In many nations throughout the galaxy, the GST sponsors swordsmanship scholarship programs in schools and funds special gyms for those interested in pursuing the sport either casually or professionally. The GST is also in partnership with numerous privately owned dojos and regularly produced various training materials (including but not limited to VR exercises) based on the advice and techniques of its champions. Additionally, the GST holds a Junior Championship every year, wherein students of the sport compete in a tournament structured similarly to the actual tournament, with the individuals in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place getting the opportunity participate in the actual tournament. The 1st place contestant also gets a 5,000 shii prize, a modest amount of fame and the Ixao-Takar Junior Championship Trophy. The Junior Championship in held in Szera City, Akanda, and Araimir, Siria, alternating every year. Category:International Category:Sports Category:Izera Category:Sirian Union Category:Competitions